May 30, 2011

Rangers 11, Rays 5 (F)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Mike Napoli hit two home runs and had five RBIs, and the Rangers established a club-record power mark as they outlasted Tampa Bay 11-5 on Monday at Tropicana Field.

Napoli's first homer, a three-run shot in the third, broke the game open, and his second homer, an opposite-field solo shot in the sixth, marked the first time in club history that the Rangers have hit four homers in three consecutive games.

Mitch Moreland and Endy Chavez also swatted homers. Moreland's, the most impressive of the bunch, hit the D-ring catwalk beyond the right-field fence some 70 feet above the playing surface. Chavez's homer followed Napoli's first. Those three had combined to go back-to-back-to-back Sunday against Kansas City.

Derek Holland had plenty of run support, but he allowed a solo homer to Ben Zobrist and a three-run shot to No. 9 hitter Jason Ruggiano with two outs in the sixth inning to make a 9-1 laugher much tighter at 9-5. The game got tighter still as the next three Rays reached against Mark Lowe, but B.J. Upton struck out to end the inning.

Holland (4-1) allowed five hits and struck out seven, but he walked five. One of those walks was to Kelly Shoppach ahead of the Ruggiano homer. Holland threw 112 pitches, the last of which turned into the first homer and RBIs of the season for Ruggiano.

The Rangers added two runs in the eighth, including an RBI double from Napoli, to pad the lead.

The Rangers have won three straight games for the first time since April 9-11 and are four games over .500 for the first time since May 1.